


The Things We Said Today

by RiverLetheStyx



Category: The Beatles
Genre: Brian Epstein - Freeform, Cynthia Lennon - Freeform, Dialogue, Dialogue Heavy, Dialogue-Only, Fluff, George Harrison - Freeform, Jane Asher - Freeform, John Lennon - Freeform, M/M, Ringo Starr - Freeform, Song fic, Things We Said Today, everyone else is just mentioned, john lennon/paul mccartney - Freeform, john/paul - Freeform, only john and paul are major characters though, paul mcfriggin mccartney
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-17
Updated: 2015-10-17
Packaged: 2018-04-26 16:30:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5011777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiverLetheStyx/pseuds/RiverLetheStyx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"John?"<br/>"Paul."<br/>"Will you remember me?"<br/>"Are you planning on going somewhere?"<br/>"I mean... if you go to America.  If something happens with the Beatles.  If-"<br/>"Paul.  Someday when we're dreaming, then we'll remember the things we said today."</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>The room seems bigger and colder without him to share it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Things We Said Today

**Author's Note:**

> A dialogue-only story taking place in the bedroom of John and Paul's secret flat in London while Paul recalls memories of his now dead best friend.
> 
> I'm not making any statements on the sexuality of Paul McCartney or John Lennon, this is merely a piece of fiction. All lyrics belong to John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

_You say you will love me_  
_If I have to go_  
 _You'll be thinking of me_  
 _Somehow I will know_  
 _Someday when I'm lonely_  
 _Wishing you weren't so far away_  
 _Then I will remember_  
 _Things we said today_

_Someday when we're dreaming_  
_Deep in love, not a lot to say_  
 _Then we will remember_  
 _Things we said today_

 

**June 1962**

 

"Paul?  What is this place?"

"Well, I figured that we would need a place to...meet, now that the Beatles are getting popular and we can't exactly always meet at your place with Cyn and Jules there.  So, I got us a secret hide out."

"Our flat?"

"Technically, my flat.  I suppose it's really only a secret from the fans, because I live here now.  George and Ringo came by earlier."

"George and Ringo knew before I did?"

"It was supposed to be a surprise for you!  And it was, so I suppose it worked out well."

"Whatever."

"Awe, c'mon Johnny, don't act like that!  You were surprised and there was no way I was going to set the place up me-self."

"Is this our bed, then?  Or just yours?"

"Would you like to find out?"

"Depends, am I going to like the answer, Paulie?"

"I think that you will."

 

**November 1962**

 

"Shit, John.  This is real."

"What is?"

"We have a record now.  Our first... an actual published record."

"Yeah, we do, Paul."

"Everything's going to change."

"Nothing has to."

"But it's  _going_ to."

"Are we going to change?"

"I...  We can make this work, right, John?  Being famous and hiding an illegal relationship?"

"We've done it before."

"John, this isn't the same.  You know it's not.  We have a record, we have a contract, we've got... shit, John.  We've got a band.  You've got a wife and kid on the way.  We're not just students from Liverpool anymore.  Our world is changing."

"But we're not.  Everything else can change, but we'll still be the same.  You'll still be Paul McFriggin' McCartney, and I'll still be John Lennon, and we'll still be Lennon-McCartney."

"McFriggin'?"

"Paul McFriggin' McCartney."

"That's something's that's changed."

"You've always been Paul McFriggin' McCartney."

 

**1963**

 

"John!"

"Do you ever sleep, Paulie?"

"How can you?  We're on telly.  The Beatles was on  _telly_."

"Yes, Paul.  The Ed Sullivan Show.  That was a couple weeks ago, are you really just now processing that?"

"Shut up, Johnny, I'm still in shock.  Telly!"

"Smoke a joint or something and go to sleep, Paul."

 

**1964**

 

"We're popular enough for a  _world tour_."

"That's what I've been saying, Johnny."

"We're in a movie.   _Our_ movie."

"It doesn't seem real, does it?"

"So much is happening, Paul."

"It's scary, isn't it?  It doesn't seem real.  Do you remember when we would skip school and go to my place after dad and Mike left, and we would sit in my room and write songs and smoke all day?"

"I think I miss that."

"I think I do too, John."

"Paul?"

"Yeah, John?"

"What if someone finds out about our... relationship?"

"They're not going to."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Epstein and George and Ringo are on our side.  Plus, you've got Cynthia, I'm dating Jane, no one has any reason to suspect that we're queer.  The only thing that may have sparked rumors was that bloody trip you went on with Epstein."

"Yeah, I guess I should've expected that.  Epstein is as queer as they come."

"Not as queer as you, John."

"Ta, luv."

 

**1965**

 

"America's crazy."

"Where did that come from, Paulie?"

"We had barely started the bloody tour and there were people everywhere!  I don't think we got a minute alone the whole time we were in the country.  Even when we were sleeping, we had bodyguards in the room."

"That was a little ridiculous.  I guess Epstein wanted to be thorough."

"Thorough?  It was a little extreme.  We're just a band.  Not the English army."

"I think the Americans would have their army watching us if we were the English army, Paul."

 

**1966**

 

"John?"

"What?"

"Are you ok?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, are you  _okay_?"

"Are you asking because you're concerned about me, or are you concerned about the band because of my slip-up?"

"I'm worried about you, John.  Jesus.  I love you more than I love the band."

"You shouldn't say Jesus."

"Why?  Because some reporter might put it in the paper?"

"And they'll make you apologize to an entire country so you might stop receiving death threats."

"It wasn't your fault, John.  You were just speaking your mind.  Everyone knows you didn't mean any harm."

"That doesn't mean that my comment didn't cause harm."

"John..."

"Go to sleep, Paul.  I'm fine.  You're safe now."

 

**September 1967**

 

"Is he really gone, Paul?"

"I think he is, John.  What are we going to do?"

"I miss him."

"We all do."

"He kept us safe."

"Fucking Epstein!  Overdosing on _Carbitral_?"

"We still need him!"

"I don't remember the last conversation we had, John.  Was... Was I nice to him?  Was I rude?  Did we joke around?  Did he smile?"

"I don't remember either.  I think he smiled.  You're always nice, so of course you were.  Was I rude, though?"

"I don't know."

"We need him, Paulie."

"He's gone."

 

**November 1967**

 

"Recording that song without him doesn't feel right."

"Nothing we do seems right without Epstein, John.  Nothing feels safe anymore."

"You are safe, Paul.  Brian wasn't the only person protecting you."

"What does that mean?"

"I'll always keep you safe."

"You couldn't keep Epstein safe."

"I didn't swear to protect Epstein."

"No one swore to protect Epstein.  He swore to protect us.  So if you swear to protect me, then who will protect you?"

"I had hoped that you would, Paulie."

 

**August 1968**

 

"What's happening to the band, John?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ringo just... left.  He didn't even say goodbye.  He just walked out of the studio."

"He phoned.  Said that he thought us three were getting alone smashingly and he was the outsider.  I said that I thought I was the outsider."

"I thought I was the outsider, too, John."

"Is that what this is really about?"

"Do you love her, John?  You left Cynthia for her."

"I haven't left you, have I?"

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"I don't love anyone enough to leave you."

"You didn't love me enough to leave Cynthia."

"You never asked me to."

"Would you leave Yoko for me?"

"Would you leave Linda for me?"

"I think you know the answer to that."

"You wouldn't like my answer to your question, Paul."

"That's what I was afraid of."

 

**January 1969**

 

The flat is silent.

 

**February 1969**

 

Silent.

 

**March 1969**

 

Silent, with church bells ringing in the distance.

 

**April 1969**

 

Silent.

 

**April 1970**

 

The flat has never been so silent.

 

**March 1974**

 

"This is weird."

"How is it weird, Paul?"

"We're in bed together, but not at our flat.  Not in our country.  Our band is gone.  We haven't talked in four years, yet here we are."

"You're the one who showed up at my door."

"You invited me to stay the night, John."

"You didn't leave when I thought you might."

"Did you want me to leave?"

"I never wanted you to leave, Paul."

"You could've prevented it."

"You would've left eventually."

"If you stayed with Yoko, I would've.  And you did."

"Because you stayed with Linda."

"We agreed to leave the girls for each other and you never left Yoko."

"Did you leave Linda?"

"For a month, John."

"I never left Yoko."

"I know.  I remember."

"Does it still upset you?"

"I still love you, don't I?"

"I still love you too."

"It doesn't seem like it."

 

**April 1976**

 

"We should've gone."

"You think so, Paulie?"

"I mean, who knows when we'll get another chance?  They were begging us to go on the show, John."

"Offered us $3,000."

"I wouldn't have done it for the money."

"No, neither of us would've."

"Why didn't we do it?"

"They were joking."

"Were they?"

"It's a comedy show, Paul.  It's what they do."

"I don't know about that, John.  Maybe we really should've gone."

"Just watch, they'll make the same offer to more broken up bands in coming months.  We broke up for a reason, it'll take more than a joke and $3,000 to bring us back together."

"I wish it was easier."

 

**December 1980**

 

Everything is silent.

 

**January 1981**

 

"John?"

"John..."

"oh."

"I keep forgetting."

"It's been a month now."

"I saw the articles in the paper, and I went home to phone you so we could laugh over it together."

"Linda was crying when I got home."

"Yoko called."

"She confirmed what the newspapers printed."

"I had thought it was a joke.  A stupid joke that the fans came up with, like when they thought I had died back in '66."

"Why did this happen, John?"

"You were supposed to protect me."

"I guess I was supposed to protect you in return."

"I failed, didn't I?"

"I don't feel safe anymore."

"I'll look after Julian and Sean for you."

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you any more."

"I love you still."

"Do you remember when we wrote that stupid love song?"

"'Which love song,' you'd say."

"Things We Said Today.  That one."

"It was a stupid one, wasn't it?"

"It's all I can think about now."

"We really wrote that for each other, didn't we?"

"Did you know this would happen when we were writing it?"

"Did you know you'd be leaving me all alone?"

"Did you want me to remember everything you've said when I'm missing you?"

"Didn't we promise to always be together?"

"Love doesn't stay, does it?"

"Because you're my love, and now you're gone."

"Someday when we're dreaming, deep in love, not a lot to say, then we will remember the things we said today."

"Someday when I'm lonely, wishing you weren't so far away, then I will remember the things you said today."

**Author's Note:**

> I really needed to work on my dialogue and this is the best way to practice, no matter how heart shattering.


End file.
